No threat to national security: Army Commander

Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake said yesterday that despite several incidents being reported from the Northern Province, those incidents were not a threat to national security.

The Army Commander while replying to a question raised by a journalist at a press Conference held in Colombo, that there are around 200 ex-LTTE members who had not been rehabilitated in the Northern Province, stated that those ex-LTTE members were not involved in the recent attacks.

He said after the war ended, 12,190 ex-LTTE members had been rehabilitated and 1,963 of them were from Jaffna. He said some 200 ex-LTTE members might have not rehabilitated for several reason.

“Only one ex-LTTE member involved in an incident in Jaffna where a police constable attached to the security detail of the Jaffna High Court Judge, was shot dead recently” he said.

The Army commander asserted that none of the ex-LTTE members were involved in the activities of the north-based ‘Awa’ group.

“Though small incident occurred in the North, all are trying to create a big issue out of it. But when similar crimes and incidents happened in other parts of the country, no one is talking about them. I assure you that there is no threat to the national security,” Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake said.

He said, to curb such crimes in the North, the Police had a major duty which they are already doing at the moment. “It is a relief for Sri Lanka Army if police are able to contain those incidents,” the Commander said.